Choosing your home’s flooring sounds like a simple solution, but it can be challenging, given all the options available. If you want a more narrowed-down list of options, this article can help you. This article will have some elegant flooring selections that you can choose from.
1. Grand porcelain tile
Porcelain tile starts as a very dense clay form. When tilemakers make a porcelain tile, they usually fire it at a higher temperature than a ceramic tile. The effect of high-firing is that it will make the tile a lot stronger since it can withstand many other elements, so it lasts much longer.
Given this understanding of how porcelain tile becomes itself, you understand that this tile is going to have specific uses aside from being an attractive and graceful look.
They are highly resistant to stains, scratches, and moisture, making them easy to clean and maintain. This ability makes them particularly suitable for areas such as kitchens and bathrooms where daily spills and water exposure occur. Or, they can be great for places you know will have a lot of foot traffic.
Do note that these porcelain tiles usually have a category or class. For example, Class 5 porcelain tiles are the most substantial types of porcelain tiles.
The drawback of using porcelain tiles, though, is its cost. Due to their hardness, they may provide a different level of comfort underfoot than softer materials like carpet or hardwood. Plus, they need a professional to install it because it’s a stricter material to manipulate.
Photo by Max Rahubovskiy
2. Ceramic floor tiles
As mentioned earlier, porcelain is fired at higher temperatures than ceramic. But that doesn’t mean that ceramic floor tiles are a lesser version of porcelain.
Ceramic floor tiles are still an excellent choice for beautifying your home and are a reliable flooring selection. Consider getting ceramic floor tiles if you want a cheaper option similar to porcelain.
There are many reasons why ceramic floor tiles will be the better choice for your home, outside of pure aesthetic preferences.
Just like porcelain, ceramic can be pretty durable. Sometimes, ceramic tiles can be close to durability in porcelain tiles as they were also fired at relatively high temps.
Aside from its strength and durability, ceramic is also water-resistant, which is why it’s great for kitchens and bathrooms, as well as porcelain.
Ceramic is also an excellent tile since it’s easy to clean as dirt and grime sit on the surface. That’s why many businesses, like restaurants, often use ceramic tiles on their work floors. Another exciting benefit that works with that is that ceramic is excellent at preventing the growth of germs in your home.
One disadvantage you have to keep track of is that ceramic is cold, so if you live somewhere cold, ceramic might be better for your bedrooms or living rooms.
Also, similar to porcelain, ceramic is quite complex, so you will need expert tilers to make it easier to use in your home.
3. Marble flooring
Regarding gorgeous flooring selections, there’s a reason why marble remains one of the top choices for many elegant homes. Its appearance is natural, so each case’s pattern will be unique. Aside from that, there are a lot of different colors that it comes in, so it can fit a lot of people’s home design themes.
The unique veining patterns and color variations in marble create a visually stunning effect that adds sophistication and charm to your home. You can even choose more dramatic options like Nero Marquina or Calacatta Gold.
One notable drawback is its susceptibility to staining and etching from acidic substances such as citrus juices or cleaning agents. Regular sealing can help mitigate this issue, but ongoing maintenance is likely something you will need to deal with often.
In general, though, it’s not as durable as other floor tiles and softer than other flooring materials like porcelain or ceramic tiles.
4. Solid hardwood flooring
Photo by Francesca Tosolini on Unsplash
One of the most reliable choices for flooring selections in your home would be hardwood flooring. It’s simple, elegant, inviting, and warm.
Aside from how hardwood flooring looks, its ability to be long-lasting and durable is also why it’s such a good idea to have it in your home. There are even diverse patterns for hardwood flooring that you can use for your home. It also helps that they’re easy to install.
If you’re planning on getting them, though, there are some issues that you need to keep in mind when having them. For example, hardwood is high maintenance because it’s easy to scratch and not that water-resistant. Plus, over time, it can start creaking, so make sure you don’t have hardwood flooring in places you know get a lot of foot traffic.
5. Natural stone flooring
There are a lot of natural stone flooring that will work well for a beautiful home. These natural stones usually have a gorgeous pattern or design, and they can create that posh atmosphere in your house.
An issue you need to remember is that it’s prone to stains and damage since some of these natural stones are not as durable as other options.
6. Exotic hardwood floors
Getting some exotic hardwoods could be a great choice if you plan on going with a more boho or naturalistic vibe. They’re great for making your home look warm and inviting while having that unique and uncommon flooring look for your floors.
These more unique hardwood floors would have warmer and more vibrant colors so that you will enjoy a specific look for them.
7. Carpet
Photo by Katja Rooke on Unsplash
Concerning warmth, carpet flooring is one of the most popular flooring choices to this day, and one reason is its comfort.
It will make a room much warmer and more comfortable since there’s soft padding on your feet that you can enjoy.
An issue, though, is that it’s not a great choice if you have pets or allergies since carpet can get dirty and dust much faster than other flooring selections.
8. Bamboo flooring
Bamboo is an excellent choice for sustainable flooring options because it grows much faster than other wood flooring options. It’s also easy to clean and has good durability. However, it is prone to scratches and challenging to source since most good sources come from Asia.
9. Engineered hardwood flooring
Hardwood can be quite costly, but a better choice that achieves an almost similar look would be engineered hardwood flooring.
If you don’t know what these are, engineered hardwood flooring would be a plywood core with a thin layer of hardwood flooring as the surface layer of the flooring planks.
Although it’s more affordable, you can’t refurnish this flooring if you want to extend its life, unlike the usual hardwood flooring.
Conclusion
These flooring selections will help enhance your home’s allure in one way or another, no matter your home’s style. You’re going to find some flooring in this article that will fit your home’s style, and it’s all just a matter of weighing the pros and cons based on what you want and can handle at this point.
